The shocking conditions unearthed in latest inspection at HMP Wealstun near Leeds

Inspectors found that "prison staff do not always ensure that prisoners are treated humanely and decently" (stock image) (Image: Getty Images)

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Inmates at HMP Wealstun are "not always" treated humanely and they have been repeatedly locked in their cells for 24 hours straight, according to a damning new report.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) found high levels of violence, bullying, self-harm and drug and alcohol abuse at the prison which holds around 800 men, despite being given extra funding under the government's 10 Prisons Project.

However, IMB inspectors said the last year has been "extremely difficult" for the prison and a lack of prison officers has caused serious problems.

Their report states: "Prison staff do not always ensure that prisoners are treated humanely and decently.

"Matters improved slightly after March 2019 with the drafting in of some new senior staff and the secondment of prison officers from other prisons, but the overall lack of staff and lack of experience, especially at prison officer level, meant that regimes were seriously curtailed throughout most of the year, resulting in prisoners being locked up for over 24 hours at weekends on a rotational basis.

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But that support only arrived after the IMB wrote to the then prisons minister Rory Stewart and raised concerns about conditions and safety, they claim.

Their report states: "The board is concerned that despite the rhetoric from the Ministry of Justice, it required a letter from the IMB to the minister before the necessary support was actually provided to ensure a better focus on making improvements within the establishment."

The extra government funding has been spent on improving visitor and boundary searches and items such as a new body scanner, toilet traps, indestructible furniture and additional netting.

Since 2018, staff have also seen the number of positive drug tests drop by 50 per cent – to 20.9 per cent.

At one point the prison had the highest drug test failure rate of any Category C prison in England and Wales.

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